Hello Dolly
by Matt Mullenweg · Uncategorized
Also makes 13 other plugins · 602.0K+ installs across the portfolio →
This is not just a plugin, it symbolizes the hope and enthusiasm of an entire generation summed up in two words sung most famously by Louis Armstrong.
75 health vs 56 average across 16,378 Uncategorized plugins
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Biggest win: Listing tuning
To rank higher: Only 0 tags — use the full 5 relevant tags so search matches more queries.
Get the full rank-higher report →Daily downloads
Since 2022-10-05 · 1,421 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peaks are release surges
63.2K
now · peak 135.2K
Directory rank
wp.org popularity rank over time · lower is better
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
10mo ago
latest release · v1.7.2
3
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 93% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “600K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.
Install history · since 2015-09-06 · 1,494 observations
Estimated value
What this plugin might earn a year, and what it might sell for. Modeled from public signals; we don't see anyone's books.
Est. annual revenue
Est. acquisition value
No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2026-02-11Recent reviewers give it five stars, calling it a nostalgic bit of WordPress history and a handy example for learning plugin code, with the occasional complaint about it shipping pre-installed now mostly in the past.
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ mikelane7mo ago
This standalone PHP script delivers the classic Hello Dolly lyrics.It’s the classic Hello Dolly, one file, no plugin, pure tribute to the legend. <?php /** * Hello Dolly - Minimalist Standalone with Fade-in */ function hello_dolly_get_lyric() { $lyrics = "Hello, Dolly Well, hello, Dolly It's so nice to have you back where you belong You're lookin' swell, Dolly I can tell, Dolly You're still glowin', you're still crowin' You're still goin' strong We feel the room swayin' While the band's playin' One of your old favourite songs from way back when So, take her wrap, fellas Find her an empty lap, fella Dolly'll never go away again Hello, Dolly Well, hello, Dolly It's so nice to have you back where you belong You're lookin' swell, Dolly I can tell, Dolly You're still glowin', you're still crowin' You're still goin' strong We feel the room swayin' While the band's playin' One of your old favourite songs from way back when Golly, gee, fellas Find her a vacant knee, fellas Dolly'll never go away Dolly'll never go away Dolly'll never go away again"; $lyrics = explode("\n", $lyrics); return htmlspecialchars(trim($lyrics[mt_rand(0, count($lyrics) - 1)])); } $chosen = hello_dolly_get_lyric(); ?> <!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <title>Hello Dolly</title> <style> body { display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; height: 100vh; margin: 0; background-color: #fafafa; font-family: serif; color: #333; } #dolly { font-size: 2rem; text-align: center; padding: 0 20px; opacity: 0; animation: fadeIn 2s ease-in forwards; } @keyframes fadeIn { from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(10px); } to { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); } } .refresh-hint { position: fixed; bottom: 20px; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #999; text-decoration: none; } </style> </head> <body> <div id="dolly"> <?php echo $chosen; ?> </div> <a href="?" class="refresh-hint">Refresh for more lyrics</a> </body> </html>
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ shadowheezy10mo ago
Hello Dolly might be simple, but it’s iconic. Every time I open my WordPress dashboard and see a lyric from Louis Armstrong’s “Hello, Dolly!” it’s a small reminder of WordPress’s roots — creativity, simplicity, and a touch of joy. It doesn’t do much, and that’s the beauty of it. It’s a little piece of nostalgia that connects every WordPress user to the spirit of open-source community and fun. Thanks for keeping this classic alive!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ manideep makkina1.1y ago
“Easy to install, worked perfectly. Helped me learn WordPress plugin structure
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ TapSuccess1.3y ago
In the past, I have deleted this plugin. Now I am learning how to make plugins…. I like it! Thanks, Matt
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dimkiriakos2.0y ago
Even many people give a lot of hate to this plugin, they should not! This plugin is not something that it’s useful your site operations, but it’s a nice boilerplate for people that they want to start building plugins for WordPress. It shows that you don’t need to write so much code to customize something in your WordPress app. It introduces the wptexturize function the get_user_locale, the admin_notices action hook and the admin_head action hook too. Yes it’s not the mode elegant thing that comes. But it can be educational for beginners This topic was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by dimkiriakos.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ foreverozone2.1y ago
My WP account was hacked. Deleted. Found this was added to my website. Not funny to me. This topic was modified 2 years ago by foreverozone. This topic was modified 2 years ago by foreverozone. This topic was modified 2 years ago by foreverozone.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ duca224466882.3y ago
what a wonderful world!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ strahoten2.3y ago
naysayers cannot optimise web sites This topic was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by strahoten.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.0.16 · WP 5.2.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 61 languages, 57 at 90% or more
Plus 37 more locales with partial translations.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-01-29 700K+ → 600K+ down after 707 days in tier
- 2024-02-22 800K+ → 700K+ down
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Hello Dolly into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/hello-dolly" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Hello Dolly — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Hello Dolly: 600K+ active installs, 4.4★ (177 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-25. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/hello-dolly